Research accomplishments 1. We have made significant progress in dissecting the relationship between obesity and epigenetic alterations in the colon that my predispose to cancer. We find that a microbiome specific to obese animals metabolizes an obesogenic diet to produce metabolites that impact the colon epigenome. 2. We have made significant progress in understanding the relationship between cancer-specific mutations found in the transcription factor GATA3 and epigenetic regulation of gene expression that may contribute to breast cancer outcomes. 3. We have made significant progress in understanding the genetic contribution of the chromatin remodeling subunits of NuRD complex to normal human development. 4. We have made progress in understanding how transcription factors engage the chromatin barrier in the process of new enhancer formation.